1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.
2. Description of Related Art
JP-A-2007-120827 describes a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a core part constructed by alternately layering tubes and fins. A core plate is arranged on an end of the core part in a tube longitudinal direction. The core plate has a tube connection face, and an end of the tube is connected to the tube connection face. The core plate further has a groove portion defined around an outer periphery of the core plate. A tank is fitted into the groove portion.
Further, a reinforcing side plate is arranged on each side of the core part in a direction of layering the tubes and the fins. A longitudinal end portion of the side plate is brazed to an outer wall of the groove portion of the core plate.
However, a contact between the outer wall of the core plate and the side plate may not completely tight because faces of the core plate and the side plate to have the contact are not completely flat. In this case, a sealed space may be locally generated between the outer wall of the core plate and the side plate. If brazing is performed in a state that air is contained in the sealed space, a flux of brazing material becomes difficult to be sufficiently supplied between the outer wall of the core plate and the side plate. If removal of an oxide film is insufficient, accuracy of the brazing is lowered, so that joint strength will be lowered between the core plate and the side plate.
Moreover, the core plate has a tube hole, and the end of the tube is inserted into the tube hole.
The outer wall of the core plate has a nail produced by bending a tip end of the outer wall by 180°. The end portion of the side plate is interposed between the outer wall and the nail. The tubes, the fins and the core plate are brazed with each other after the brazing material is applied in advance.
A layered member is produced by arranging the side plate onto the core part. Then, the tube is inserted into the tube hole of the core plate, and the end portion of the side plate is inserted into a clearance between the outer wall and the nail.
However, a dimension of the core part in the tube layering direction may become larger than a predetermined value because the tube or the fin has the brazing material in advance. In this case, a position of the side plate is easily deviated outward in the layering direction, so that it becomes difficult to insert the side plate into the clearance between the outer wall and the nail.